Preparing Effective Figures – Interactive tutorial

Answers

Which is the independent variable? The times to take samples were determined by the investigator. Time is the independent variable.Which is the dependent variable? The height of a seedling depended on the time it was sampled. Height is the measured quantity, making it the dependent variable

Weekly height measurements for seedlings of Acer palmatum:

week

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

measured

1.2

1.4

1.4

1.9

5.8

5.7

5.3

heights

0.3

0.5

2.0

3.0

2.9

4.8

5.1

in inches

1.1

1.0

2.3

3.8

4.9

4.8

8.5

1.1

1.7

2.2

2.6

3.7

8.2

8.2

1.0

1.8

2.4

3.5

5.6

6.1

7.0

1.5

2.2

2.0

2.3

4.8

4.8

5.5

1.3

1.5

2.0

3.1

1.1

8.3

5.6

0.8

1.5

2.1

3.1

4.6

6.1

2.2

1.7

1.7

2.5

4.3

4.2

7.4

4.8

1.5

1.6

1.6

5.0

5.1

3.7

8.4

1.6

1.2

2.7

1.8

3.8

4.3

4.3

1.1

1.2

1.5

2.8

7.4

4.3

5.9

Next questions

The investigator is interested in presenting the relationship between seedling height and time. Should these data be plotted on a graph?

Yes
No

If you do plot these data, which variable will you plot on the y (vertical) axis?

Independent variable (time)
Dependent variable (height)

NOTE: The data table will be reproduced at the bottoms of the pages that follow